


Played to Protection

by Chibifukurou



Category: Pacifier
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-14
Updated: 2010-11-14
Packaged: 2017-10-13 04:56:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/133187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibifukurou/pseuds/Chibifukurou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would have happened if Shane Wolfe had been discharged from the Seals after his failed mission to protect Howard Plummer? What if he hadn't been around to protect the Plummer Children?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Played to Protection

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Bad Language, Mentions of past gruesome murders, Past abusive relationship
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This story was written for personal enjoyment and entertainment purposes.

  **Title:** Played to Protection  
 **Author:** Chibifukurou  
 **Beta:**  E.Mor  
 **Fandom:** The Pacifier  
 **Pairing/character:** Seth Plummer + Shane Wolfe  
 **Rating:** R  
 **Word Count:** 12,115  
 **Kink:** Abuse, Angst, AU  
 **Notes/Warnings:** Bad Language, Mentions of past gruesome murders, Past abusive relationship  
 **Summary:** What would have happened if Shane Wolfe had been discharged from the Seals after his failed mission to protect Howard Plummer? What if he hadn't been around to protect the Plummer Children?

***

  


  


**Part 1**

  


***

  


"Mr. Shane!"

Shane jerked away from his paperwork. That was Lizzy Carver's voice and she sounded scared. He jumped up and headed for the door.

Lizzy came careening through the doorway, barely avoiding running into him, not that she let that slow her down for a second. She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the gym, talking all the way. "Mr. Shane! Mr. Seth's hurt. This man just came in and started hurting him."

The basketball court had play props and scripts, scattered around it. Henry, Lizzy's older brother, and the other older boys were holding down a man Shane didn't know. The older girls were either clustered around Seth or comforting the younger children.

Shane headed for the boys first, but Henry waved him away. "We got him Mr. Shane, but I think Mr. Seth's hurt pretty bad, he's not waking up."

Shane hurried over to Seth, carefully moving a few of the girls aside so that he could get a good look at the unconscious young man. Seth's skin was grey and his lips were purple, like he hadn't been breathing for a while. The lurid purple bruises that surrounded his neck, explained why. Lizzy obviously hadn't understood quite what had happened to him. This looked closer to attempted murder than being hurt.

Shane crouched down and leaned over Seth's body, pressing an ear to Seth's chest. His breathing sounded good, and when Shane checked his pulse it was strong, if slow. There didn't seem to be any serious damage beyond the bruises, thank God.  
Shane patted Seth's left cheek gently. "Come on kid, wake up all ready."

Being a stubborn brat, Seth of course didn't listen and continued imitating a corpse. After a few more attempts at rousing him, Shane was just about ready to tell Lizzie to call an ambulance.

Then Seth groaned and tried to sit up. Shane grabbed his shoulders to push him back into a prone position, but it wasn't necessary since Seth's head only made it a few inches off the floor before he fell back down.  
Seth's hands were shaking as he reached up to touch his neck. His slim, pale fingers just made the bruising look more garish and out of place.

Shane checked his pulse again and found it to be reassuringly normal. Then he ran an experimental hand over Seth's chest checking for any broken ribs. Seth winced away when his fingers ran over the left half of his chest, but the ribs stayed rigid. Assured that Seth was stable, Shane felt comfortable letting Seth sit up. "Alright I'm going to help you sit up now, should make it easier to breath.

"OK," Seth wheezed.

Shane lifted Seth's upper body up, keeping a hand wrapped around Seth's back to keep the pressure off his ribs. Seth still collapsed against Shane's chest as soon as he was vertical. He wheezed from either the swelling of the bruises around his throat, or pain.

Either way it sounded painful. "Lizzy, can you go get a glass of water for Seth, and bring me the phone from the office. I need to call the police."

Henry suddenly yelped, drawing everyone's attention to the other side of the gym, where he and the other boys had secured Seth's attacker. The unknown man had started fighting, aiming kicks at Henry's legs, since the other boys held his arms securely. He landed a particularly vicious kick on Henry's shin causing him to yelp again. Henry retaliated by slamming his fist into the man's jaw. He slumped in the boys’ arms, and stopped kicking.

Shane turned his attention back to Lizzie. "Hurry and get me the phone, I want the cops here as soon as possible."

"Don't!"

Both Shane and Lizzy stared at Seth in shock.

"Why the hell not?!"

"Language!" Lizzy yelled, pouting at him.

"Sorry. Why don't you want me to call the police? Better?"

Lizzy just continued to pout. Shane should have known better than to try and use sarcasm against her.

"I don't want you to call the police because this isn't something they need to be involved it." Seth snapped, drawings Shane's attention back to him.

"He assaulted you, almost killed you. I think that's something the police would be very interested in."

"I'm sure Michael didn't mean to kill me. He just lost his temper."

"That's not exactly comforting." Still, Shane didn't feel comfortable calling the police without Seth's permission. "We'll wait to call them but I'm not just going to let him go."

"Fine, and what exactly should we do with him?"

"Don't worry about it. Lizzy, you and the girls take Seth to my office. Henry, you and the boys follow me. And bring Michael with you."

"Where are you taking him?"

Shane didn't like how scared he sounded."Don't worry about him, You'll be perfectly safe." Shane motioned for Henry to follow him and headed out of the gym.  


***

  


Seth was sitting on the beat-up green couch in Shane's office. The girls were clustered around him, sitting on the back on the couch, cuddling against his sides, and encircling his feet.

Shane could hear Henry stifling a giggle. No doubt caused by the flummoxed look on Seth's face. Shane had never figured out why the girls fawned over Seth, since he didn't seem to know what to do with their attentions. Claire had tried to explain it to him once, but she'd lost him when she started talking about the 'hotty' factor. About all Shane had learned from the explanation was that teenage girls were even more incomprehensible than grown women. "Alright girls, I'm sure he's fine now. Why don't you and the boys clean up the gym while I talk to Seth? I think you've all practiced the play enough for today."  
"But Mr. Shane," Lizzy whined, "what if Mr. Seth needs us?"

"Then I'll call you. You'll only be down the hall, in the gym. Now go on, the sooner you leave the sooner I can finish talking with Seth and you can get back to cuddling him."

That argument at last seemed to sway them and they trickled out of his office, grumbling softly. They milled around in the hallway for a while grumbling to each other, but eventually they gave up trying to eavesdrop on his and Seth's conversation and headed back to the gym.

Shane gladly closed his door behind them and sat back down at his desk. "You want to tell me what's going on and why you don't want me to call the police? Are you in some sort of trouble?"

"Trouble?"

"Drugs, loan sharks, you know the kind of trouble frowned upon by law enforcement."

The corners of Seth's mouth twitched up and he met Shane's gaze for a second before he went back to staring at his clasped hands. “No, its nothing like that. He's my ex-boyfriend. "  
Shane had been expecting Seth to admit to a lot of things, but having an abusive ex-boyfriend hadn't been one of them."Ex-boyfriend?"

"Does that surprise you?"

"Obviously. So did he hit you before you broke up with him or is this something new?"

"He had started getting violent, so I broke up with him. He was never this bad though."

Shane crossed his arms. "So if he's only getting more violent. Why shouldn't I call the police on him? They frown upon domestic abuse, the kids and I would be glad to act as witnesses. That should be more than enough poof to get him arrested or at least get you a restraining order."

"It's complicated."

"That isn't exactly enough information to convince me not to call the police. Even if you're willing to risk your safety, I need some reason to risk him hurting the kids."

"I can stop coming to the Center if you want, but I can't afford to press charges against him. After I broke up with him, he accused me of cheating. His family are big time donors to the college, they got me banned from the Spring Performance I was supposed to be one of the actors in, because of his allegations. What exactly do you think they'd do to me if I called the police on their pride and joy? "Seth was breathing hard at the end of his rant, wheezing breaths that sent him lurching sideways to lean heavily against the couch's arm.

"Nothing good."

"Exactly. Now unless you have some suggestion on how to handle this, in a way that won't get me kicked out of college, I'd prefer not to call the police on Michael."

And that unfortunately hit the nail on the head. Shane didn't know how to handle the situation. He'd never been good at diplomacy and Seth was probably correct in his assessment of the situation. "I'll hold off on calling the police for now, but if he comes to the Center again, I'll have to call them. I'm not going to risk the kids over this. That sound fair?"

"Yeah, thanks Shane. Now if you'll tell me where you stashed Michael, I'll get him out of your hair."

"He's stashed in the cleaning supply closet we keep locked to keep the troublemakers from huffing. And if you can stand up and walk out of my office without help I'll even give you the key."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine." Seth pushed himself up off the couch and almost fell back down. He barely caught the sofa arm in time to keep himself from landing on the floor. He sat down hard on the sofa and glared at Shane.

Shane did his best to act like he wasn't amused. Seth looked like Lizzy, when she didn't get her way. He doubted Seth would find the comparison flattering. "I'll get him out, you lie down and rest. I'll have Claire call your sister to come pick you up."  
"You don't need to do that. I'm fine." He tried to stand up again, not even getting a few inches off the couch.

Shane had to repress the urge to go help him. He looked helpless and it sent Shane's protective instincts into overdrive. Unfortunately for Michael he was planning to put those instincts to proper use giving him a stern talking to. One he didn't want Seth present for. "Of course you are. Just stay on the couch until your sister comes to pick you up."

"Damn it, I'm fine." Seth yelled, though he didn't bother trying to get off the couch.

"Language. Or do I need to call Lizzy to come sit on you?" Shane asked, standing up and walking over to the office door, like he was really going to call Lizzy.

"I'll be good, but I'm so getting you back for this." Seth looked down, unwilling to look at Shane. "Just be careful, Michael's dangerous."

"Relax I'll be fine. I'm an ex-Seal after all. Now lie down and get some rest."  


***

  
The car pulled up running a few miles to fast and swung into a parking spot with a screech. A young, blonde woman hopped out of the car and approached the Youth Center's front door, where Claire waited for her.

Claire opened the door for her. "Ms. Plummer, I presume?"

"That's right. A member of your staff called about my brother?"

"I did. I'm afraid your brother was attacked earlier this afternoon."

Ms. Plummer made a move to grab Claire's arm."Is he alright? Was he hurt badly?"

"He's fine, Ms. Plummer. A few bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. We just didn't feel comfortable letting him drive himself home."

"That's good, but should he really be going home? Maybe I should call a doctor."

"That's up to you. As far as we can tell he's fine, but if you'll follow me I'll show you to him and you can decide for yourself."

"Thank you, that sounds good." Ms. Plummer gave Claire a tight smile.

"Well then just follow me." Even as short as the walk to the office was, the silence between Claire and Ms. Plummer had a chance to become uncomfortable. Claire found herself hurrying just to get away from it.

Reaching the office and finding Seth asleep on the couch was a relief. As was having Ms. Plummer ignore her to go check on her brother.

She ran practiced fingers over his arms, legs, and chest, looking for damage. And Claire couldn't help but wonder where she'd learned such efficient First Aid. Shane and Claire had been taught First Aid as part of their military training, so it was disconcerting to see a civilian using similar methods.

It made her suspicions about Seth keeping secrets seem even better founded. Something screwy was going on and Claire wanted to know what it was. Unfortunately, it didn't look like she'd be getting any answers from Seth's sister, since she hadn't angulated Claire since she'd seen Seth.

Ms. Plummer finished her inspection of Seth with a small pat on his chest, before she grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him gently.

Seth sat up with a jerk and collapsed back to the couch with a hiss. "Zoe? What are you doing here?” He asked

"Coming to pick your sorry butt up, what else. Now let's get you out of here before something else goes wrong."

"Nothing bad is going to happen."

"Of course not." Sarcasm practically dripped from Ms Plummer's voice. "Just humor me, I'm feeling paranoid. Now let me take a quick look at your throat and we'll be on our way."

Seth rolled his eyes, but with Ms. Plummer's support he managed to sit upright on the couch. "My throat is fine."

"Your throat is not fine. It's purple and you sound like you swallowed a bullfrog. Now let me look at it or we're going straight to the emergency room."

"Fine, just make it quick will you."

Ms. Plummer didn't reply as she leaned down to get a better look at Seth's neck. Seth met Claire's eyes over Ms. Plummer's head and smiled. Claire would have found it more encouraging if it didn't change into a grimace every time Seth's sister poked at his throat.

"Fine, it looks like you'll be alright." Ms. Plummer finally said after a few minutes of poking. She stood up and used her grip on Seth's arm to stand him up too. She swung his arm over her shoulder after he almost slumped back down onto the sofa. Together, the siblings headed towards where Claire was standing in the office's doorway.

Claire hurried to step out of their way. Ms. Plummer gave her a smile and a nod, but otherwise continued to ignore Claire. Seth smiled at her as he and his sister passed by and said. "I'll see you on Tuesday, okay."

"Of course." Claire replied with a smile of her own.

They both ignored the glare Ms. Plummer leveled at them. Claire suspected that Seth wouldn't be returning to the Center if his sister had anything to say about it.  


***

  
"What the hell were they thinking letting you get hurt?" Zoe raged, turning the ignition key with more force than necessary. Her lips were pinched together in a tight white line, and if she glared at the road any harder the windshield would burst into flames.

Seth was worried she'd crash the car into a tree or go back to the Center and give Shane and Claire a piece of her mind. "You need to calm down, Zoe. It's not their fault."

"Like hell, it's not their fault. You're helping them out of a jam. The least they could do is make sure that none of their kids hurt you."

"It wasn't one of their kids. It was Michael."

"Shit, again? How did he know where you were?"

"I don't know. He wasn't really in the mood to tell me." Seth rubbed at the bruise encircling his throat.

"I still don't see why we can't call the police on him. It's not like he's being subtle about stalking you."

Seth slumped down in his seat and leant his head against the passenger side window. He didn't want to have this conversation again. "We can't call them, because we can't afford to draw attention to ourselves."

"It's not like they have to do a background check on us, in order to arrest Michael."

"And what do you think Michael's family will do if we go to the police? They'll try to find a way discredit us, which most definitely will involve background checks. I'm not going to risk you or Mom over this."

"Do you really think we'd prefer you dying, to us being found?"

"So why don't we run? Change our names and start over?"

"I--I. It's not that simple." Zoe gripped the steering wheel harder and shifted in her chair.

Seth could see how uncomfortable the thought of running made her. "Which is why we aren't going to call the police. We gave up running when we came here, and I'm not going to start again unless there aren't any options left."  


***

  
Shane slid onto the stool next to his old Seal buddy, David Griggs.

David didn't look up from his scotch on the rocks when Shane motioned for the bartender to get him a beer. They sat next to each other, soaking in the comfort of being with somebody they could fully trust to watch their backs.

  
Shane broke the silence once he'd guzzled down the last dredges of his beer. He hadn't come to the bar to get drunk, after all. "So, you want to tell me why you sent Seth Plummer to the Center, besides to run our charity play?"

"Can't a man do his friend a favor?"

Shane leaned against the bar and swiveled his stool so that he could get a better view of David's face. "Call me paranoid, but I'm guessing it has something to do with Seth's douche of an ex-boyfriend."

"What makes you think that? I try to stay out of my student's personal life."

"So if you didn't send him to me because of his ex, I'm guessing you wouldn't have any idea why a punk kid named Michael would show up at the Center and start beating up Seth?"

That got David's attention. He slammed his glass down on the bar and turned to stare at Shane. "Michael Garrison?"

"Probably. Though we weren't exactly exchanging names."

"I don't know why he'd show up at the Center. He's not one to help the community. Though if Seth was involved, that might explain things. He accused Seth of cheating off of him on a Music Theory test."

"Doesn't really sound like something Seth would do."

"No kidding. But the Garrison's are major contributors to the college. The Dean and the board aren't going to go against them."

"What does that mean for Seth?" Shane motioned for another beer. This had turned out to be more complicated than he'd expected.

"It means that he's basically screwed. One of the requirements for his Music Performance class is to help in a performance and the Garrison's have banned him from helping in the school's Spring performance."

"Which is why you sent him to help with the Center's play?"

"Exactly. There is precedence for charity events fulfilling the requirements. And I figured I could help you and Seth out at the same time. I wasn't expecting Michael to make things this personal."

"I didn't get the feeling Seth was expecting him to take it that far either. If he attacked Seth once, do you think I should be worried about him attacking Seth again?"

David didn't answer for a few minutes. He just shook his glass so that the ice rattled against the sides. "I don't know. He's never felt all that dangerous to me, but if he is willing to attack Seth in your building, then I'd say he was crazy enough to be a threat."

"Yeah, that's what I was afraid of."

"You'll look after him won't you?" David met Shane's eyes for a second.

Shane was surprised at how serious he looked. He hadn't realized how much David cared for Seth. "Yeah, I will." Seth got up from his stool and patted David on the back, leaving money for his beers on the bar-top.  


  
***

  
Seth dug through his backpack, searching for his Music Theory textbook. His bag opened to far and papers, textbooks, and pencils spilled out across the College's hallway. He fell to his knees and scooped the mess back into his bag. The other students passed by, stepping on his papers and breaking most of his pencils. None of them even bothered to stop and help pick up.  
A  
t least he found his Music Theory book. He'd barely stood up when something slammed into his back. He went flying. His papers and books spilled out onto the floor again and his head hit the floor, hard. "Shit!" Seth cursed, struggling to get up. The fall left his ears ringing and it took him longer than it should have to realize somebody was yelling.

"You filthy whore, do you think you can get away with sicking a bunch of kids on me?"

Michael, just the person he'd been trying to avoid. Seth tried to scuttle away while Michael was busy yelling, but he was brought up short when Michael grabbed his hair and pulled Seth up against his chest.

"I'm going to make you pay" Michael hissed into his ear.

Seth looked around the hallway, desperately hoping for rescue. The hallway was full of students, surely somebody would help him? Of course nobody did, they just acted like they didn't see Seth or Michael. Seth had never felt more like a social pariah. He didn't have any choice but to try and reason with Michael. Like that was going to happen. "I didn't sic the kids on you. You just scared them."

"Do you think I care? They were trying to keep you from me. They shouldn't have done that, you’re mine." Michael ran a hand over Seth's chest and crotch.

Seth shuddered and tried to pull away.

Michael yanked on his hair in retaliation.

Seth bit his lip to keep from screaming. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other students ducking and looking over their shoulders guiltily. Sure signs that a professor was approaching. Seth just hoped that the professor wasn't related to Michael. He really didn't need to be reprimanded for being beaten up on college property.

"What's going on here?"

Professor Griggs, thank God.

Michael let go of him like he'd been burned. His voice rose a few octaves into his, I'm charming and harmless, tone. "Nothing, professor, Seth and I were just discussing his cheating and how he could make recompense."  
Professor Griggs' didn't look impressed. "I thought I made it clear that you should leave that type of discussion to the Dean and the Board."

"You did, but I thought I should take the initiative." Michael schmoozed.

Seth grimaced, but didn't contradict him.

Thankfully, the professor didn't have any such compunctions. "Initiative is admirable, if you haven't been ordered not to take it. Now I suggest you get to class before you're late."

"Of course, Professor," Michael said, "I'll see you later Seth."

Seth shuddered, but relaxed after Michael was out of sight. He started filling up his backpack again. At least he'd found his Music Theory book this time.

"Mr. Plummer."

Seth jumped. He'd forgotten that Professor Griggs was still there. "Yes, Professor Griggs?"

"Once you've finished picking up, come to my office. We have things to discuss."  
Seth stifled a sigh. What now?  


***

  
Props, theater programs, and papers were stacked on top of every flat surface in Professor Griggs' office. The desk had papers piled so high that they were taller than Professor Griggs' head. The desktop sagged beneath the weight.  
Professor Griggs didn't look up as Seth sidled into his office. He kept reading what looked like a school paper, mouthing the words to himself as he ran a pencil down the page.

Seth sat down in the duct-taped yellow leather chair on the other side of the desk. After a few minutes he cleared his throat softly. The professor jumped and spun around, dropping the paper and pencil onto the floor. He and Seth stared at each other for a few seconds before Griggs reached down to gather up the paper and pencil and return them to his desk.

"You wanted to see me?" Seth asked.

"Shane contacted me last night about Michael attacking you at the Center. I wanted to talk to you about what this means for the case Michael has been making against you. If you report his assaulting you to the police I can arrange for an academic investigation against Michael."

This was just what Seth didn't need, a teacher getting interested in his personal life. "Shane shouldn't have told you about that. It isn't any of your business."

"He only wanted to help. He's a good man."

"I don't doubt that, but it still isn't his business. I won't be reporting Michael." Seth shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Griggs' disappointed frown.

"May I ask, why not? This might be your only chance to refute Michael's allegations."

"You don't believe Michael, why don't you report him?"

It was Griggs' turn to shift uncomfortably, now. "I can't. Not without risking my job."

"If they are willing to fire you, what do you think they'll do to me if I report Michael?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I and I don't want to find out."

"That is understandable, but please reconsider. If Michael was willing to attack you in front of witnesses, on two occasions, then there's nothing to say he won't continue to become more violent. I don't want you to be put into a position where Michael can kill you." Griggs stared intently at Seth.

Seth fought the urge to start fidgeting again. He'd made his decision and he wasn't going to let Professor Griggs change his mind. "Thank you for your concern Professor, but I'll be alright. Now, if there's nothing else you want to talk to me about, I need to head to class."

"Of course, but please consider what I said. I don't think Michael will ever willingly stop attacking you. You need to be prepared for that."

Seth stood up and slung his book bag over his shoulder. "I'll be prepared Professor, and I'll think about what you said."

"That's all I can ask."

Seth avoided looking at Griggs. He suspected that if he did, he'd see a disappointed look that would make him want to spill all his secrets and that was unacceptable. There was only one person he could trust with his secrets, and it most definitely wasn't Professor Griggs.  


***

  
Seth nodded at the nurse manning the entrance to the rest home his mother was staying in. She smiled at him and pressed the button to let him into the Rest Home.

His mom's room was a nice, sunny place. It always impressed him. Though it would impress him more if his mother was conscious to appreciate it. He'd adjusted to having her like this though. It had been five years after all. He'd be screwed if he hadn't adjusted.

He leaned over her bed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Hi Mom, it's good to see you."

He pulled the old dead bouquet of wildflowers out of the bouquet on her bedside table and replaced it with the new bouquet of Sunflowers he'd brought. His mom had always liked Sunflowers. Once he was pleased with how the arrangements he sat down in the chair beside his mother's bed and took her hand. "Have you had a good week? The Doctors have been taking good care of you and they say you've been staying stable."

"I miss talking to you, though. It's lonely with just me and Zoe left. I miss you, Lulu, and the boys." Seth slumped down in the chair without letting go of his mother's hand. He enjoyed visiting his Mom, but it always left him feeling useless. He could almost understand why Zoe refused to come see her.  


***

  
Seth had barely made it back to his dorm and collapsed onto his bed, when his phone starting ringing. He pulled his pillow over his head and ignored it. He ignored the second call as well.

When the phone rang for the third time in ten minutes, Seth forced himself to get up and answer it for the sake of a few moments peace. By the time he'd managed to lever himself off his bed, stumble across the room, and dig his phone out of the bottom of his backpack, the phone had stopped ringing. Which was just Seth's luck.

Since he hadn't wanted to take the call in the first place he didn't bother checking his missed calls. Hopefully, whoever had been calling had figured out that he didn't want to talk to them. Seth collapsed back onto his bed, phone still in hand. He was exhausted.

He had almost managed to nod off completely when the phone rang again. The sound was far too close to his ear. Thumbing the Talk button without opening his eyes, he snapped, "What!"

"Is that any way to talk to your sister?"

Shit, he should have known she'd call him. "It is when she's the one who woke me up."

"Sleeping before six? Shame, shame, shame."

"Yeah, yeah. So what did you want?"

"I wanted to make sure Michael hadn't approached you and see how Mom was."

"You could just go see her yourself, instead of calling me for updates every time I go."

"You know I hate hospitals."

"That's no reason to abandon your family."

"Damn it." Zoe snapped. "That's enough, we have this argument every time you go to see her. It never changes anything. Can you act civilized for once?"  
"  
Fine, she's fine."

"And Michael?"

"He approached me, but nothing happened."

"Have you reconsidered calling the Police yet?"

"No, and I'm not planning to."

"Stubborn."

"A family trait, right sis?"

"I suppose." Zoe sounded more resigned than angry. They'd both gotten to know each other far too well.

"You need to stop worrying about me so much. This is the reason you can never get a boyfriend."

"That's none of your business, Seth."

"Of course it's not, but unless you want me to keep teasing you about it, I need to get back to sleep."

"Fine, but call me back once you wake up, okay?"

"I will."

"I'll call you back if you don't. Have a good nap!"

"Thanks sis, for everything." Seth thumbed the phone off before she could say ‘you're welcome’. Rolling onto his back he slung his arm over his eyes and tried to fall back to sleep.  


  
***

  
Over the next few weeks, Claire learned to dread the sight of Seth's sister pulling into the Youth Center parking lot. Zoe Plummer had attended almost every play practice that was held since Seth had been attacked. It wouldn't have been a bad thing if she didn't make the kids, and Claire, nervous with her constant glaring.

Claire had even resorted to asking Seth to get his sister to calm down. That had ended up being a horrible idea, since instead of Zoe calming down, she wound Seth up. They'd had a knockdown, drag out fight in the middle of the gym.

After that Claire had done her best to be careful when dealing with Seth's volatile sister. Claire was an ex-marine and she found Ms. Plummer terrifying when she was on a rip. She didn't want to imagine what kind of effect Ms. Plummer had on the kids.

Casting a weathered eye over to where Seth was going over lines with Lizzy, Claire edged towards Ms. Plummer, who was sitting on the bleachers. She sat down next to her, hoping to get Ms. Plummer to stop glaring at the kids. "Hello, again Ms. Plummer, you look nice today."

Ms. Plummer turned the full force of her glare on Claire. "How nice of you to notice Mrs. Fletcher and you really must call me Zoe. After all you are older than me. It's really not appropriate for you to call me Ms."

Claire bristled. She should have known Zoe would turn even the simplest of hellos around on her. "You don't like me, do you Ms. Plummer? I mean Zoe."

Zoe didn't react to Claire's obviously intentional misuse of her name. "No I don't. Should I?"

"There is no reason for you to have a grudge against me. So I don't see why you wouldn't like me."

"You don't think having my brother attacked while working here is reason to dislike you and Mr. Wolfe?"

"That wasn't our fault."

"Then who's was it?" Zoe turned away from her staring at Seth to raise an eyebrow at Claire.

"Seth bears most of the responsibility. If he had told us about his ex-boyfriend, we would have been prepared to protect him."

"Tell me Claire, do you usually blame the victim?"

"He's hardly a victim Zoe. He made a decision and needs to take responsibility for it."

"Oh, he has taken responsibility. He doesn't even blame you. It's me you think you should have done more."

"Did you ever think to trust your brother?"

"I do trust him, in everything except his own safety. He doesn't have anything resembling self-preservation, as can be proven by his getting into a relationship with Michael in the first place."

There was very little Claire could say to that. She agreed that Seth didn't have much by way of a sense of self-preservation. "What do we have to do to convince you that we don't need you to keep an eye on Seth while he's here?"

"Until the play is over, or you successfully protect him from Michael. Whichever comes first."

"Do you really think Michael will come back here?" Claire had never considered Michael returning.

"He attacked Seth in front of a few dozen witnesses at their school. There is very little I think Michael wouldn't do."

"I see." Claire and Zoe didn't talk after that, though Claire didn't leave either. If Zoe thought Michael would come after Seth again then Claire couldn't blame her for sticking around. Even the glaring was still annoying.  


***

  
**Part 2**   


  


***

  
Shane picked the phone up on the third ring. "Youth Center, this is Shane Wolfe speaking."

"Lieutenant Wolfe, this is General Bill Fawcett. I've been trying to get in touch with you."

"I'm afraid I'm not really interested in reminiscing, General Fawcett."

"I suppose not. It has been a while since we served together after all." Fawcett's voice took on a good 'old' boys tone.

"Yes, it has." Shane mocked. He might have been out of the service for a few years but he knew when he was being patronized and he didn't like it.

Fawcett seemed to know when he was being patronized as well, since he got right to the point. "I'm sure you remember your last mission, to rescue Doctor Howard Plummer. Well that mission and your current situation puts you in an ideal situation to handle a mission for me."

"I'm not interested. Like you said I've been out of the service for a while. I have no interest in going back."

"Not even if the mission involved your Center?"

For all the question was asked slyly, it still kept Shane from slamming the phone down. "And why would a mission from five years ago involve the Center?"

"You've gotten a new helper at the Center, Seth Plummer. Don’t tell me you never considered it."

"Considered what?" The bottom fell out of Shane's stomach. He suspected that he knew where this line of questioning was going and he didn't like it.

"Considered that Seth Plummer might be the son of Doctor Plummer, the man you killed."

Shane slammed the phone down at that. He might feel guilty about a lot of things but he'd put that behind him. He wasn't going to let his old Commander bring his feelings of guilt back.

Shane left his office and started pacing around the Center. He ignored the ringing coming from his office. He wasn't ready to talk to General Fawcett yet and he wasn't naive enough to think that anybody else would be calling at six o'clock in the morning.

Claire wouldn't even be in for another three hours. Finally, Shane gave up on pacing his anger away and headed for the small exercise room they'd built off the Center's gym. Maybe beating a punching bag into submission would make him feel better.  


***

  
Shane headed back to his office almost an hour later, dripping with sweat. He felt better though, which was what he cared about. It wasn't like Claire was around to yell at him for stinking up the furniture.

The phone had stopped ringing thought the blinking message light was almost as intimidating. Still, Shane was a Seal. He could handle this. He took a deep breath and stabbed his finger into the voicemail button, with more force than he'd intended.  
It let out a miserable 'BEEEEEEEP" until he hit it again to get it to stop.

The second time, he took more care hitting the button. General Fawcett's voice came through loud, clear, and snide.

"Lieutenant Wolfe you're being childish. I expected better of you. Still, I'm willing to help you if you return my call. There are some things about Doctor Plummer and his children I think you should know. It involves allegations of treason. Don't let your stubbornness get you into trouble."

Shane hissed. He didn't want anything to do with Fawcett, not after the General hadn't done anything to keep him from being kicked out of the corps. Unfortunately, Fawcett was right, he couldn't afford to risk the Center with his stubbornness.  
Shane sighed, but dialed the General's number anyway. He needed to know what was going on.  


  
***

  
Shane leaned back against the gym's wall and watched as Seth wrangled the kids and got them to through their lines, even if it did take him a few tries. Lizzy was a real rabble-rouser and with her curly, red wig on, she could have easily passed for a real live Annie. Henry didn't make nearly as good a Daddy Warbucks, his curly black hair kept peeking out from under the hat Seth had shoved onto his head.

Shane burst out laughing as the kids reached the part of the story where Annie made fun of Mrs. Hannigan. Lizzy had a big grin on her face and was liberally torturing Allison, the older girl who'd been cast as Grace. Shane suspected Lizzy's displeasure was related to Allison's crush on Seth. Lizzy wasn't very good at sharing.

When the kids broke for a snack, Shane turned his attention to Seth himself. There was something off putting about Seth, for all he'd been trying to pretend there wasn't. Still, Shane had never thought that Seth's secrets could involve treason.

He still wasn't sure they did. He trusted Bill, but not more than he trusted his gut and his gut still didn't read Seth as a threat. Not that it would, if Seth's father had been the one who betrayed his country. Shane would just have to wait and watch. If Seth was a traitor he'd slip up eventually.  


***

  
Shane shoved a few stacks of papers across David's desk so that he could sit down. The desk creaked under his weight but Shane ignored it. This was far from the first time he'd used it as a chair. He used his foot to close the desk's bottom drawer closed. David kept his stash of liquor in that drawer and Shane didn't need the temptation. This conversation would be hard enough to have while sober. Shane couldn’t afford to have it drunk, not when the stakes were so high.

David bustled into the office, his arms filled by a large pile of papers which he was reading to himself as he walked. Shane cleared his throat to let David know he was there. David jumped and papers went flying all over the floor. "Fuck! What did you do that for?“He cursed.

Shane didn't bother trying to hide his grin. It was always good to see David when he was sober. He might be a morose drunk, but when he was in his right mind, he was sharp as a tack. "It's about Seth."

David's head snapped up, from where he'd been gathering his papers. "What happened? Did Michael do something? I thought he'd been to quiet over the last few weeks. He's been acting furtive, which is never a good sign."

"No, it's nothing like that, though it might actually be worse."

David dropped his pile of papers onto his desk, glaring at Shane when he noticed that his other stacks had been shifted. He sat down in his desk chair and leaned back until he could meet Shane's eyes. "So if it's not Michael, what is going on?"

"I received a call from General Fawcett yesterday."

"Bill Fawcett? What does that bastard want with Seth?"

Shane was surprised at the name calling. David wasn't usually so disrespectful to his commanding officers. "He's not that bad."

"You don't know him like I do. The name was earned."

"I served under him. I think I know what he's like."

"I served with him, believe me you don't. He wasn't above throwing his fellow soldiers under the bus if he thought it would make him look good."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Do. Now are you going to tell me how this involves Seth?"

"Fawcett's claiming that Seth's father committed treason."

"Did he give you proof?"

And didn't that just cut to the heart of the matter. Fawcett hadn't been able to produce proof of his claims, which was why Shane wanted David's opinion. "No, but his argument was pretty convincing."

"That I don't doubt. He's a snake, could sell ice to Eskimos if he thought it would turn him a profit. So if his proof is so convincing why are you here?"

"My gut tells me that Seth's not involved, but I can't ignore this. Not if it can affect the Center."

"And you wanted a second opinion to justify yourself."

"Something like that."

David leaned his head back against his chair and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. Shane didn't interrupt him. Finally he sat back up and looked at Shane. "Your right, you can't ignore this, not if there is even a chance Bill's telling the truth. But you need to handle this delicately. It could easily blow up in your face."

"So any specific suggestions?"

"Approach Seth privately, explain what's going on, and give him a chance to explain. If your gut is telling you he's not involved, then he probably isn't. Just make sure to watch your back, and Seth's. Even if Seth isn't involved Bill might not be willing to let this go."

Shane nodded sharply. David had definitely given him a lot to think about.

David batted Shane's feet out of the way and opened his bottom drawer, pulling out a bottle of bourbon and a pair of glasses. "So, now that we've discussed all the world's problems, who wants to get drunk?"

Shane grabbed one of the glasses and held it out to be filled. Now that the conversation was handled, he could get drunk without guilt.

***

Shane watched Seth running the practice. His resolve to approach Seth about General Fawcett's claims directly had lasted until he'd sobered up. Now he just felt suspicious. His gut told him that Seth wasn't a threat, but it had also told him that Seth didn't have any secrets and Michael had proven that feeling wrong.

He just couldn't trust Seth to tell him to truth, or his gut to tell him if Seth was lying. He would have to try something else. Which was why he was trying to locate Zoe Plummer. If Seth knew something about his father's business then it only made sense that Seth's older sister would know about it too.

He finally located Zoe reading a book on the bleachers. He climbed up to join her and gave her his best charming smile. "Ms. Plummer, I'd like to talk to you in private. If that's all right?"

She blushed a pale pink. "Of course, Mr. Wolfe."

"Just follow me." Shane led her towards his office. He motioned for her to take a seat on the couch and offered her a bottle of water, with a flourish. He felt a bit guilty for taking advantage of her like this but he needed to know. Hopefully, their talk wouldn't be too traumatizing. Then he'd feel really guilty. "So you and your brother have a very close relationship."

"Is that a question or just a compliment?"

"A little bit of both. I have a few questions about your family, if you don't mind. Seth has been secretive."

Zoe smiled. "That he is. So what do you want to know about us?"

"I was wondering if you had any family around? It must be lonely with just the two of you."

"My mother is around, but I doubt you'll ever meet her."

"What about your father?"

"He hasn't been around for a long time."

"What happened to him?"

Zoe's smile got tight. "I'm afraid I can't say. It's a confidential matter."

"I was just wondering if you were related to Howard Plummer." Seth tried to keep the question light, like he was asking out of idol curiosity.

Zoe's white face told him he hadn't succeeded. "What makes you think that?"

"I got a call from an old friend. He said that you and Seth were Howard's children and that you might be aware of his treason."

"Treason? I don't know what you heard but my father was loyal to the United States. There was never any question about that."

"Well there is a question now. Your father made a program named Ghost, which went mysteriously missing just before he died. Didn't you ever wonder where it went?"

Zoe stood and threw her water bottle at Shane's head. "That's enough! My family has more than paid the price for my father's loyalty to his country. Don't think I won't tell Seth about this. I don't know who contacted you, but they were lying. If you can't see that then you’re more stupid than I thought."

She stormed out of Shane's office, heading for the gym.

Shane didn't follow. The confrontation had ended up being even worse than he'd expected, she deserved a chance to calm down.

***

  
Seth stared at Zoe, shell-shocked. He still hadn't recovered from being dragged out of the Center mid-practice. Zoe hadn't explained what was going on when she'd burst into the gym in a huff. She'd just grabbed his arm and stormed off. He'd had to yell over his shoulder that practice was over, since there was no slowing Zoe down.

They'd passed Shane's office on their way to Zoe's car and Seth had caught a glimpse of Shane's shell-shocked face. Which begged the question of what exactly Zoe and Shane had been up to together. Whatever it was Seth suspected he wasn't going to like it, given how Zoe kept whispering derogatory terms for the male gender under her breath.

Seth sipped his coffee and watched Zoe, waiting for her to calm down. She'd explain sooner or later.

"That cue ball headed son of a camel, I hate him. Seriously." She screeched, drawing stares from everybody in the coffee shop.

Seth dropped his head onto the table. He really didn't need this right now."Zoe, will you sit down and act like you are actually my older sister, please? You're embarrassing me."

Zoe plopped down into her seat and glared at him. "This wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't gotten involved with that idiot."

"I'm assuming you're talking about Shane?"

"Yes, I'm talking about that idiot. Who else would I be talking about?"

"Who knows with you? Now do you want to tell me what's got you so worked up?"

Zoe's face went still and hard. "He knows."

"About what?"

"About Dad and Ghost. I don't know if he knows about Mom, Lulu, Tyler, and Peter, but I wouldn't bet on it staying a secret for long."

"Any idea how he found out?"

"He said somebody called him."

"Did he say who?"

"No. Just an old friend."

"Not very helpful. We need to prepare for the worst."

"Seth?"

"You and Mom need to leave town for a while."

"And what about you? We should all leave, go back to our old way of doing things."

"Not yet. We've built a life for ourselves here. I wasn’t willing to let Michael ruin it and I'll do what it takes to keep Shane from messing things up."

"Don't be stupid. I didn't think it was worth risking your life when it was just Michael, now that Shane's involved too, we should just leave. It would be for the best." Zoe slammed her fist against the table, voice rising with every syllable.

"And what if we could find the person who came after our family?"

"What?" It came out barely a whisper.

"I asked what it would be worth to find the bastard who killed Lulu, Peter and Tyler?"

"Do you think we can?"

"I don't know for sure. But I can't think of anyone else who could not only track us, but arrange for Shane to find out about us."

"If it’s him then we should both stay. I want that bastard to pay as much as you do!"

"If not more." Seth sighed and drank the last of his coffee. Zoe wasn't going to like what he said next. "Which is why you're not going to be staying. If something happens to me then you have to be around to avenge us."

"Then why don't I stay, while you go with Mom?"

"Do you think you'd be able to convince Shane to tell you who called him? He barely knows you."

"I – uh. Probably not."

That's what I figured. If I can find out who's behind this and draw him out, then I'll call you so you can come back and help. But you need to stay safe until then. Alright?"

"Yeah, alright." Zoe stared morosely into her coffee cup.

It was almost enough to make Seth reconsider, but he knew he wouldn't. After the night when Lulu and the boys were wiped out, he'd promised himself that he wouldn't let anybody hurt his family again. That was a promise he would keep even if it meant risking his life.

***

Seth did his best to act like everything was perfectly normal, like he wasn't trying to smuggle his mother out of the Rest Home, in the proverbial dark of night. He'd never explained his or his mother's situations to the Doctors here, which made explaining her sudden transfer almost impossible.

"Are you sure there aren't any other options. We really enjoy having your mother here and it will be a shame to see her go." Doctor Howard said, giving Seth a mildly disapproving stare over his glasses.

"I'm afraid we really don't have a choice. Something has come up and I just don't feel comfortable leaving my mother here, while my sister is out of town. "

"I see, but I really don't see how your sister's absence would make a large difference in your mother's care. As far as I know she's never even visited."

Damn Doctor Howard for being good with logic. "Yes well, I won't be able to visit for a while either so I feel more comfortable having her near Zoe. Now if I could just get my mother's records?"

"Alright, but I really would prefer if you let me send them to your mother's new doctor, personally."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. Thanks again for meeting me on such short notice. This transfer really came up rather unexpectedly."

"So I noticed." Doctor Howard joked reaching out to give Seth a handshake.

Seth tucked the records into his backpack and shook Doctor Howard’s hand. It really was too bad that his mother couldn't stay here. Doctor Howard was the best doctor she'd ever had.

***

Seth kicked Zoe's apartment door with his foot. His hands were full of pizza and drinks and he didn't want to put them down just to root through his backpack for his keys.

Thankfully, Zoe was on the ball and Seth only had to wait a minute or two for her to open the door. The glare she gave him softened when she saw the pizzas, Plummer family comfort food. She opened the door wide and headed back into her room to finish packing.

Seth set up dinner on the small kitchenette table. Plastic cups and paper-towel plates made the preparations easy. He was done a good fifteen minutes before Zoe came back to the kitchen, dragging her oversized, wheeled suitcase behind her.

She practically fell into the chair across from Seth and went rooting through the nearest pizza box and pulled out three slices of Hawaiian. So much for her much vaunted diet. Seth watched in amusement as she scarfed down two pieces and chugged her cup of cola, in less than five minutes. He'd only made it part-way through his first piece of pepperoni pizza. "I take it your still not happy about not being able to stay with me."

Zoe tore off a large chunk off her pizza slice and chewed it with deliberate slowness, then she took a few sips of her drink, just to drag her answer out further. "What do you think?"

"I'll take that as a yes and confirmation that you haven't thought of a good reason to stay yet."

"Take it as what you will. I still don’t like this. If the guy who called Shane really is the one behind the ninjas that attacked our house five years ago, what's to stop him attacking you out right?"

"Nothing, but there has to be some reason he feels the need to be so circumspect in his information gathering."

"That's what I mean! We don't know anything that would be worth tricking us for."

"He might think we know where Ghost is. You said that Shane had mentioned it."

Zoe froze with her third pizza slice halfway between her plate and her mouth. She stared into space for a few moments. "He mentioned it in passing, but I didn't get the feeling he really knew what he was talking about. He called it a program, which really doesn't do it justice."

"True, still I can't think of anything else somebody would think was worth tricking us for."

"If they really are after Ghost then we're in deep shit. It might be five years old, but it's adaptive. It would still be worth a fortune, even if you were just selling it on the black market." Zoe put her pizza down and stared intently at Seth. Ghost had long been a point of contention between the two of them.

"So it would, if somebody could find it."

"Yeah, if somebody were to find it they should really consider destroying it, before it fell into the wrong hands."

"If somebody were to find it, they should. But that doesn't matter since it has been missing for five years. The likelihood of somebody suddenly happening upon it, are slim to none.

"I highly doubt it would be that suddenly." Zoe's tone was patronizing.

Seth ignored it and changed the subject. "So have you figured out where you'll be going?"

"Yeah, I figured it out, not that I'm going to tell you."

"Of course not, that would defeat the purpose of you disappearing."

"I suppose it would." Zoe dug out a fourth and fifth slice of Hawaiian pizza, looking everywhere but at Seth.

"So when do you leave?"

She glanced down at her wrist watch for a second before replying. "It about half an hour."

"That's good, and you have your fake papers?"

"Yeah, they're in my purse. I put the ones for Zoe Plummer in a safe deposit box I opened up under my new alias, so there shouldn't be anything to connect my new identity to you or dad."

Seth nodded and turned his attention to picking slices of pepperoni off his own pizza. There really wasn't anything else to say until was time to say goodbye.

***

Claire ran into Seth on her way out of the Center. She was surprised and pleased since she hadn't seen him or Zoe in the two days since Zoe had dragged him off mid-practice. Admittedly it had been the weekend, but Seth usually came in on Saturdays to work on the set. "How are you Seth? I've been worried since you and Zoe left so suddenly, Friday afternoon."

Seth seemed a little out of it, but he replied quickly enough. "Oh that, something had come up and Zoe had to head out of town for a while. I'm not sure if you'll be seeing her again since the play is going to be finishing up next Saturday. "

"She's not going to be coming? I figured she would be after all the time she spent watching the practices."

"Yeah she'd planned to, but she's doing something important and that's what counts."

"It guess so, though it's a shame. We were finally starting to get along."

"I'll let her know you missed her." Seth said before leaning into Claire's personal space and asking far too casually, "Is Shane in?"

The hairs on the back of Claire's neck stood at attention and she was overcome with shock. Seth was a nice, if self-centered college guy. She'd never thought of him as a threat, but now he practically screamed danger, from the dark glint in his eyes to the charming smile that twisted his face. Now that she had a hint of the secret he'd been hiding, she wished she'd never let her curiosity get away from her. "Yeah, he's in his office." She stammered.

Seth seemed to shrink after hearing that. He was just a normal college student again and if the hairs on the back of her neck weren't vertical and her flight or flight instincts fully engaged, Claire would think she'd imagined the whole thing.

"Thanks Claire." Seth said. He gave her a sweet smile before brushing past her and heading into the Center.

Claire was still in shock but she managed a quiet, "You're Welcome."

Maybe she should stick around a little longer, just until Seth left again. She had some paperwork that she had been putting off.

***

When the door to his office slammed open Shane was expecting to see Lizzy on a sugar high or Claire on the warpath. He was not expecting to see Seth. Shane wasn't quite sure what to do about the surprise. The thunderous expression on Seth's face didn't bode well. It was almost enough to make him reconsider his decision to talk to Zoe instead of Seth himself. He couldn't think of anything else he'd done that could make Seth this mad.

Hell, he hadn't even known that Seth could get this mad. He'd always stuck Shane as being easy going, with his lack of interest in getting revenge on Michael. It seemed that Michael just hadn't known what buttons to push.

"So Shane, Do you want to tell me what you thought you were doing approaching my sister about my father's past?"

There was enough malice in that question to make a weak man cry. Thankfully, for his masculine pride, Shane was anything but weak. "There were some questions raised about how your presence could harm the Center. I felt it was my duty to make sure this wasn't the case."

"Then why didn't you come to me?" Seth leaned on Shane's desk so that there were only a few inches between their noses.

"Because I didn't trust you to tell me the truth."Shane would have been tempted to push Seth off his desk, if he didn't think it would escalate this argument into a shoving match. He'd easily be able to win a physical fight with Seth, but since he was the one who'd started this he'd feel bad about it.

"And that gives you the right to upset my sister and call my dad a traitor?"

"I called your father a traitor because those were the allegations made against him. I wasn't pulling stuff out of thin air to hurt your sister."

"Who told you my father was a traitor?"

Something about the way that question was worded set Shane's teeth on edge. "I'm afraid that isn't any of your business. It was a private matter."

"That made you verbally attack my sister. Which makes it my business."

"I'm still not going to tell you who it was, but since you're so interested in making this your business, why don't you tell me your version of the story. Was your father a traitor to his country?"

Seth stood up, his spine stiff, like an offended cat. "No he wasn't. He was an honest man who didn't even turn against his country when he was being held hostage by prisoners. And do you know what his loyalty got him? Squat. He gets killed in the line of duty and we get nothing, not even protection. So when a group of North Korean ninjas came to my house to find Ghost we had no way to protect ourselves."

"What happened?" Shane whispered. This was not what he had been expecting to hear. It was far worse.

Seth gave a derisive snort and began pacing around Shane's office motioning with his hands, for emphasis. "What do you think happened? My sister and brothers were killed when the terrorists tried to use them to force Mom into telling them where Ghost was. And she didn't even know. Once she finally convinced them of that, they shot her in the head. Then they shot Zoe and me. It was pure luck that the three of us managed to survive, though Mom's never expected to come out of the coma she fell into." Seth spun to look at Shane, his lips were twisted into a mockery of a smile. "So, Shane do you think my father was a traitor?"

There wasn't a lot Shane could say to that. "I—"

"Didn't think so. So here's a hint. Next time you get the urge to question what exactly my father did for his country, don't."

"I won't."

"Good. Now back to business, do you want to tell me who told you about my father?"

"No, I'll handle it myself."

Seth hissed something that sounded extremely insulted, under his breath. "Fine, but don't blame me if it blows up in your face. You don't know what you're getting involved in."

"I'm an ex-Seal. I can handle it."

"Of course you can." Sarcasm oozed from that statement. "Look, you do what you think you should but when it goes to shit, call me. Between the two of us we might just be able to salvage something out of this cluster fuck."

"Everything will be fine." Shane would make sure of it. Seth didn't need any more trouble in his life. Not after what Shane had put him and Zoe through.

Seth shook his head. "Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow when I come in for play practice."

"Yeah, see you then." Shane's attention was already on how he was going to explain this to Fawcett. He'd really screwed things up, if he'd been smart he would have just listened to David and handled the situation a lot more delicately.

Shane barely noticed when Seth left and Claire checked up on him. He was too busy trying to mesh what Seth had told him with what Fawcett had claimed. Things just weren't matching up and he didn't know why.

***

  
Shane slammed his fist into the punching bag. He should have gone home hours ago but he couldn't get his mind to shut off so he could rest. So he was trying to exhaust himself. It wasn't working his imagination kept showing him flashes of what might have happened to Seth and Zoe while their family was being tortured. It hadn't escaped his notice that Seth had left that part out.

What would Seth refuse to admit after having described his family's deaths at the terrorists' hands? It was infuriating and distracting. Shane threw another punch, trying to distract himself. Sparring would have worked better, but he didn't want to explain to David or Claire why he needed to spar at two o'clock in the morning. It would lead to awkward questions from Claire and multiple 'I told you so’ from David. Neither of which he was prepared for. Which left him fighting shadows, alone, in the middle of the night.

***

  
Shane called General Fawcett at exactly six o'clock in the morning. He had to talk to two assistants before he managed to get to Fawcett so it was almost six thirty by the time they started their conversation. Still, more than enough time to finish it before Claire came in. "General Fawcett, It's good to speak to you again."

"Likewise, Lieutenant Wolfe."

There went that good 'ole' boy drawl again and using his old military designation too. Fawcett was really laying on the charm. The question was why? Shane hadn't even told him why he was calling yet.

"So, have you been looking into the thing we discussed?"

"I have."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing. It was a wild goose chase."

"Really? I find that hard to believe. Are you sure the boy wasn't lying to you?"

Seth remembered the half-crazed way Seth had been acting. "Yeah, I'm sure. He doesn't know anything about his father's treason."

"Well, that is too bad. But I suppose I'll have to take your word for it."

Something about that resigned statement was off. Fawcett didn't sound relived or pleased, he sounded suspicious. "I suppose you will. Or you could talk to Seth Plummer yourself."

"I suppose I could." Now Fawcett sounded amused.

"But, you're not going to?"

"It would be redundant if you really did talk to Mr. Plummer."

Shane's hand squeezed tight around the receiver. It made a cracking sound under the pressure. "Are you trying to imply something General Fawcett?" he asked between clenched teeth.

"No, no, of course not." Fawcett's drawl was thicker than ever.

He was lying. Which made Shane wonder if Seth hadn't just been paranoid when he'd told Shane to call him when things went to shit. "Well then. It was nice hearing from you again, General."

"Likewise, and don't worry I have a feeling you'll be hearing from me more frequently in the future."

The click of the phone being hung up did nothing to lessen the implied malice in the General's last statement. Shane needed to call in some back up.

***

Shane snuck into the back of the auditorium to watch the dress rehearsal. He was glad that even with all that had happened, Seth had stuck around to see the play to the finish. Even if everything did go to shit, they'd at least be able to send Lizzy, Henry and a few of the others to art camp thanks to the play's ticket sales.

Once the cast had broken for intermission, Shane approached Seth. Seth was feverishly marking a script with a red pen, and didn't notice him until he was practically on top of Seth.

Seth just glared at him before turning back to his script. Obviously he still hadn't been forgiven for messing with Zoe. "I need to talk to you."

"Busy."

"It's important."

"The play is important. Whatever you're planning can wait."

"It's about the guy who told me about your father."

That got Seth's attention. He stared at Shane, narrow eyed. "Are you ready to tell me who he is?"

"Not exactly, but I do need to talk to you about him. If you could come to my office?"

"After play practice is finished I'm busy until then.

Shane could handle that. "Alright, I'll see you then."

"Yep" Seth said absentmindedly. He'd already gone back to paging through the script.

***

Seth approached Shane's office door with trepidation. He'd been too angry the day before to fully think things through. He'd said far more than he'd planned to and he didn't look forward to dealing with Shane's pity. Still, if Shane was willing to even hint at the identity of the guy who'd come after his family, he couldn't afford to be squeamish. He pushed the door open and strode into the office with all the false bravado he could muster, which was unfortunately very little.

Shane was sitting behind his desk, staring at him. Which didn't help Seth's bravado in the slightest. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Have a seat." Shane motioned towards the ugly green couch that sat across from Shane's desk.

Seth perched on the edge of it. "So are you ready to tell me who told you about my father?"

"No, I still want to handle it myself, but I thought I should tell you that I called them and told them you didn't know anything."

"Did he believe you?"

"I'm not sure, but I think most of his attention is on me now."  
Seth sunk further into the couch. He really didn't need this kind of aggravation. "Why do you think that?"

"He thinks I'm covering for you."

"And what do you think he'll do now that he thinks that?"

"I'm not sure. I've been talking to my military contacts and they're keeping an eye on him. We should know if he tries anything. I've let his superiors know that he's looking into Ghost, which he has no reason to be doing. They'll look into it."

Right, because the bastard was going to stick to the proper channels when he came after Seth. And now Seth had to worry about Shane and the Center too. The day just kept getting better and better. "What do you suggest we do until they finish their investigation, sit around and wait for him to come after us?"

"Look, Faw--, he might not be a nice guy but I hardly think he's going to bother coming after us. He might think we're keeping secrets but that doesn't mean he's going to attack us."

"And what if he's working for the guy who targeted my family before. What if terrorists show up at the Center one day? How do you suggest we handle that?"

Shane gave him a disappointed and mildly pissed off look. "Now you're just being paranoid. He's a member of the US military, they don't make a habit of hiring extremists."

"Then why exactly did he go to all the trouble to call you five years after the investigation into the attack on my family? If he's so sane and trustworthy then he should have moved on by now, right?"

"You don't understand what it's like. For a solider failed missions, especially ones that involve civilian casualties stick with you. I can understand why he's still looking all these years later. I probably would be too."

"Fine you go on believing that, but when he comes after everything you care about don't blame me."

"Look I get that this has been trying but you can just go around claiming everyone that takes an interest in your father, is after you. That's no way to live."

"Maybe not, but if it keeps my family and me alive, I'm not going to stop." Seth stood up and prepared to storm out.

"Seth, please stop." Shane called after him.

In deference to how hard that please had to have been for Shane to stay, Seth did as he asked and stopped in the office's doorway. "What?"

"Look I don't understand what's going on or what you think is going on, but I want to make this right."

Seth looked back at Shane, over his shoulder. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"I give you my word that whatever happens with your family or Michael I'll back you. At least until everything is back to how it was before I got involved."

Well it was a start at least. "Alright, Shane. It's agreed we'll work together to get this settled. Deal?"

"Deal"

Seth nodded sharply at Shane in acceptance of their agreement, before leaving the office and heading for the car. Things hadn't exactly turned out as he'd planned, but he had a good feeling that with Shane's help he would finally be able to catch his family’s murderer.

And that was what he wanted most in the world.

***

  
**End**   



End file.
